Review of Paddington Gets in a Jam: Early Lessons of Good Intentions When Moments Get Messy!

For more than 60 years, British-born writer Michael Bond has delighted children and families all over the world with his stories about Paddington. Growing up he was one of my fave storybook bears, alongside Courdoroy and of course Winnie the Pooh and over the years I've loved sharing his sweet tales with my two boys and now my preschool-aged nephew. 

Paddington’s adventures have been adapted many times for the big screen and television, which now includes an adorable new Paddington TV series that recently launched on Nickelodeon and a third feature film is in the works. 

We've always got an eye out for theater experiences that the younger kids will enjoy and thought that the new show and New York Times Critic's Pick, Paddington Gets in a Jam at DR2 theater would be the perfect performance for my sister and I to take the kids to. When the winter months roll around we look forward to trips into the city that get us out of the apartment and give the Lil' monsters a chance to witness engaging storytelling that effortlessly captivates their wildest imaginations.

Disclosure: We were provided with complimentary tickets in order to facilitate this review, opinions expressed are 100% our own. 

3 Reasons Why You'll Love Watching Jungle Jim's Musical Adventures with your Child & A Special Offer for Readers #ad

This post is part of a sponsored campaign for Jungle Jim - A Musical Wildlife Adventure. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

No matter the season my boys are always asking if they can go to our local zoo, especially our youngest who is completely fascinated by each animal's characteristics and abilities. 
We even joined a nature club at the Bronx zoo & joined other families as we explored the plants and surroundings in the rain and snow & toured the exhibits to learn about an array of creatures. It was a lot of fun but let's be honest, weekly trips to the zoo aren't always feasible so we're always on the look out for educational books and programming like Jungle Jim's Musical Adventures to encourage our kids to think about the world around them and the creatures that inhabit our planet out in the wild and that are cared for in their favorite zoo's and aquariums.

Encourage Children to Think Outside of the Box and Learn to Code with Cubetto #ad #MustHavesForLilMonsters

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign for Primo Toys. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

Limits on screen time for our two boys are necessary during the week otherwise they turn into zombies. They typically aren't allowed to play any video games or use their tablets until Friday unless it's something we deem educational and even then we have to set boundaries because they'll end up playing Minecraft for hours and when I've said enough is enough they'll quickly answer back with a response like "but mommy we're learning how diamonds are made" and dive right back into playing because they assume there's no way I could refute that they are truly engaged and learning. Our lil' monsters are extremely tech savvy they love making stop motion videos together, edit their own YouTube videos and create their own background music with various apps. With all that said we're certainly concerned about all the actual time spent staring into screens, I know it affects me as I bounce from laptop to cellphone to tablet to desktop in heavy rotation. Created by Primo Toys, Cubetto is the only screen-less programming system, powered by a revolutionary coding language made of colorful blocks that lets children ages 3 and up write their first computer programs. 

Kazoops: Kids Discover the Power of Imagination with Debut of New Netflix Show

Most of our kids have returned to the classroom or will be after the long labor day weekend and as a mom, former preschool and elementary school educator it's always been an enlightening experience watching both my boys and students question the world around them and to use their imaginations to make up their own stories and engage in creative play. At home we try to encourage deeper thinking and want our kids to feel as comfortable as possible seeking answers to whatever they are curious about. In the animated series Kazoop {debuts on Netflix on September 2nd, 2016} kids will follow the adventures of six year old Monty and his adorable best friend names Jimmy Jones, the family pet pig.  Monty uses his big imagination to challenge notions of everyday life such as "Why do all games need rules?", "Why can't we have more than one best friend?" and demonstrates the value of critical thinking.